巴斯克威尔的猎犬 梅利琵宅邸的主人斯台普吞（4）

 

　　It seemed hopeless to pursue the inquiry¹ any farther, but it was clear that in spite of Holmes'sruse we had no proof that Barrymore had not been in London all the time. Suppose that it were so-- suppose that the same man had been the last who had seen Sir Charles alive, and the first to dogthe new heir when he returned to England. What then? Was he the agent of others or had he somesinister design of his own? What interest could he have in persecuting² the Baskerville family? Ithought of the strange warning clipped out of the leading article of the Times. Was that his work orwas it possibly the doing of someone who was bent³ upon counteracting⁴ his schemes? The onlyconceivable motive⁵ was that which had been suggested by Sir Henry, that if the family could bescared away a comfortable and permanent home would be secured for the Barrymores. But surelysuch an explanation as that would be quite inadequate⁶ to account for the deep and subtle schemingwhich seemed to be weaving an invisible net round the young baronet. Holmes himself had saidthat no more complex case had come to him in all the long series of his sensational⁷ investigations⁸.

　　I prayed, as I walked back along the gray, lonely road, that my friend might soon be freed from hispreoccupations and able to come down to take this heavy burden of responsibility from myshoulders.

　　要想继续这件调查似已无望了， 可是有一点是很清楚的， 虽然福尔摩斯使用了巧计， 我们仍未能证明白瑞摩一直也没有去过伦敦。假设事实就是如此——假设他就是最后看到查尔兹爵士还活着的人， 就是首先跟踪刚刚回到英伦的新继承人的人， 那又怎么样呢？ 他是受别人的指使呢， 还是另有个人的阴谋呢？ 害巴斯克维尔家的人对他会有什么好处呢？ 我想起了用《泰晤士报》 评论剪贴而成的警告信。 这是否就是他干的呢， 还是可能有谁因为决心要反对他的阴谋而干的呢？ 唯一能想象得出的就是亨利爵士所猜测过的那种动机， 那就是说， 如果庄园的主人能被吓跑的话， 那么白瑞摩夫妇就能到手一个永久而舒适的家了 。 可是这样一种解释， 对于如同环绕年轻的准男爵织成一面无形罗网的、 深谋远虑的阴谋来说， 确乎十分不当。 福尔摩斯本人曾说过， 在他那一长串惊人的侦探案里， 再没有过比这更复杂的案子了。

　　在我沿着颜色灰白而又孤寂的道路回来的途中， 心里默默地祷告着， 愿我的朋友能从他的事务中脱身到这里来， 从我的双肩上卸下这份沉重的责任吧。

　　Suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of running feet behind me and by avoice which called me by name. I turned, expecting to see Dr. Mortimer, but to my surprise it wasa stranger who was pursuing me. He was a small, slim, clean-shaven, prim-faced man,flaxen-haired and leanjawed, between thirty and forty years of age, dressed in a gray suit andwearing a straw hat. A tin box for botanical specimens⁹ hung over his shoulder and he carried agreen butterfly-net in one of his hands.

　　忽然一阵跑步声和唤着我名字的声音打断了我的思路， 我转过身去， 心想一定是摩梯末医生， 但是很使我惊奇， 追我的竟是一个陌生人。 他是个矮小瘦削、 胡子刮得很干净和面貌端正的人， 长着淡黄色的头发， 下巴尖瘦， 大约三四十岁的样子， 穿着一身灰色衣服， 戴着草帽， 肩上挂着一只薄薄的植物标本匣， 一只手里拿着一把绿色的捕蝶网。

 

1 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

2 persecuting   

（尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的现在分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人

参考例句：

• This endurance made old Earnshaw furious, when he discovered his son persecuting the poor, fatherless child, as he called him. 当老恩萧发现他的儿子这样虐待他所谓的可怜的孤儿时，这种逆来顺受使老恩萧冒火了。
• He is possessed with the idea that someone is persecuting him. 他老是觉得有人要害他。

3 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

4 counteracting   

对抗，抵消( counteract的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The turmoil, he said, was "counteracting the course of global civilization. " 这次骚乱，他指出，“阻碍了世界文明的进程”。
• But he notes that there are counteracting forces as well. 但是他也指出还有一些抵消因素。

5 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

6 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

7 sensational   

adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的

参考例句：

• Papers of this kind are full of sensational news reports.这类报纸满是耸人听闻的新闻报道。
• Their performance was sensational.他们的演出妙极了。

8 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

9 specimens   

n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人

参考例句：

• Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。
• The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》